Casper Idol
by ShadowManipulator7
Summary: Casper Idol! Can Danny swallow his pride and tell Sam his true feelings for her before her ex-boyfriend from New York steals her away? He certainly can't deal with another "Gregor" again ... This isn't going to end well. '-.-' songfic


Casper Idol

Danny's POV

"Class, I have a special announcement." Mr. Lancer said to our loud class.

I looked up at the bald, out-of-shape English teacher. He didn't sound very excited, his voice was monotone, but he did seem to brighten up while reading the school newspaper. Since nobody - and I mean the students - ever paid a spec of attention to the newspaper, not a single person had a clue what Mr. Lancer was talking about. However, since it was the begging of the new semester, I was interested in hearing what was going on.

I ran a hand through my hair, annoyed that it continued to fall in front of my eyes. I looked around the classroom - I sat in the back with my friends - and saw everyone doing something different. Not a single person was paying attention to the teacher except for Tucker Foley, Sam Manson - my best friends - and myself.

"How many of you children have heard of a special contest called American Idol?"

Everyone looked up at Mr. Lancer.

"Glad to see I've got your attention now." Mr. Lancer smiled. "The Professional Arts school from New York is sponsoring a competition throughout the country. We're lucky to have a chance to participate in this competition for such a small area. So now Casper High is proud to present Casper Idol!"

The entire class broke out in applause.

"Yes, now quiet down." Mr. Lancer continued. "Several of the judges are coming in two weeks to record the auditions. However, you must bring in an original song."

Groans now filled the classroom.

"Well, look at it this way, kids. You'll get extra credit for English, Music, or any other Creative Arts class if you participate." He paused. "And it'll be fun!"

People cheered again.

The bell rang, dismissing us for lunch. I stood up and walked out with my friends to the Cafeteria. Sam seemed very happy for some reason, probably because of the competition, but Tucker and I just shrugged it off. Tucker ordered his usual meal - meat, enough said - while Sam wrinkled her nose in disgust at Tuckers' carnivorous apatite. She moved to the salad bar, leaving Tucker and I near the burgers and French fries.

"So, are you going to audition?" Tucker asked as we scooted further down the lunch line.

"Casper Idol?" I mulled over the idea. "Well, let's see." I spoke in hushed tones so no one could hear our conversation. "One, I have homework. Two, I have to deal with obnoxious people in my life. Three, I'm already half asleep from ghost fighting." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I really need anything else on my To-Do List?"

"He-llo? I'm your time manager, remember? With my help, I can give you time to audition."

"But I can't sing, or dance, or anything else like that for that matter." I argued.

"Oh well, suit yourself." Tucker shrugged.

We sat down at our usual table and waited for Sam to come back. She was still at the salad bar, talking to - someone. I noticed that Sam looked uncomfortable speaking with that person. It was a guy with long reddish-black hair, jeans, and a black hoodie. He was pale, but I couldn't see his face. Sam shook her head at him and walked towards our table, a threatening look on her face.

I tried not to drool over the sight of her. Even though she was one of my best friends, over time I had developed a small - or not so small; huge, actually - crush on her. You could very well say that I was in love with her. I mean, come on, who wouldn't? She's so beautiful with her midnight black hair, pretty face, and magical eyes. I didn't care if she was different than the other girls - she was Goth, an Ultra-Recycle Vegetarian, and a full on individual - I preferred it, actually. _I just wish I knew if she loved me back._

"What was that about?" I asked her when she sat down.

"Nothing." She said quickly.

"Huh?" Tucker obviously hadn't been paying attention to the little spat at the salad bar.

"Nothing." Sam repeated. "Are you going to audition for Casper Idol?"

I raised an eyebrow. She was clearly avoiding the subject about the guy in the hoodie. "No, I don't think so. Are you?"

"Well-"

"Samantha?" A voice said.

We all looked up. Sam gasped, Tucker chewed his cheeseburger, and I just sat there. The guy was handsome, I'll give him that. He was only a little taller than I was - I had grown to a solid 5'8" since Freshman year - and he had fiery orange eyes.

Sam stared at him. "What do you want?" She pulled the hood from her black Abby Dawn jacket over her raven black hair. Her face grew red and her purple eyes remained on her salad. She was avoiding eye contact with whoever this guy was.

"A second chance?" The boy asked.

"Uh, Sam, who is this?" I asked.

"Carter Williams." Sam replied. She glanced at Carter. "You're not getting a second chance."

Tucker looked confused. "Is something wrong, Sam?"

"Two years have passed, Samantha. Let it go. I'm sorry!" Carter yelled.

The Cafeteria went silent; many people stared at us now, waiting for something else to happen. A fight perhaps.

"What am I supposed to do to show you I mean it?" Carter continued, ignoring the interested glances he got as the silence proceeded. "Should I get down on my knees and beg for mercy?"

Sam didn't say anything, which made Carter panic. He kneeled, closing his hands together that made it look as if he was praying. Sam stood up when he did that. She put her hands on her hips, but gave Carter puppy-dog eyes.

She smiled. "Carter, I don't know what to say." She paused, glancing at her lunch tray. "So, I'm just going to show you how I feel."

She grabbed her bottled Ice Tea, took a quick sip of it, and smiled at Carter. What she did next shocked me. She poured the Ice Tea all over his red-black hair. Everyone in the Cafeteria broke out in murmurs, gasps, and giggles.

Sam dropped the bottle at his feet and smiled at the sight of him. "Don't you just love the taste of Ice Tea an berry-scented lip-gloss?" She started to walk away.

"Vivi?" Carter murmured quietly.

Sam was out the door before he could stand up. The Cafeteria stayed quiet for a few moments, then went back to its loud, usual self. Jocks were being bastards, the geeks were playing Yu-Gi-Oh by the trash cans, and Paulina was picking on a pretty girl with brown hair and a purple T-shirt. _Bitch_.

I just couldn't believe that Sam had done that. Whatever this Carter guy had done to her, I wanted to find out. Had he hurt her, emotionally or physically? _Wait, maybe they knew each other before she moved here. After all, it is a possibility. Perhaps I should just keep an invisible eye on him for a while, until he leaves, that is. Or if he leaves at all._

Carter sighed, stood up, then looked at Tucker and me. "You're her friends, right?" He sounded pleading, desperate.

"Nice to meet you, too." I said. "I'm Danny." I paused. "You're new here, huh?" I motioned for him to take the seat in front of us.

"I just started this morning." He replied.

"And I'm Tucker." He smiled at Carter. "What'd you do to make Sam mad, buddy?"

"More like what I didn't do, dude." He sat down at our table and sighed. "Obviously, you've never heard of me or seen me, so I'll start from the beginning." He cleared his throat. "Sam moved here in the 8th grade, correct?"

I looked at Tucker and shrugged. "Yeah, she did."

"She was Goth before she moved to Amity Park, trust me. So am I. we went to the same Middle School back in New York and-"

"She moved here from New York?" Tucker interrupted. "No wonder she seemed so thrilled about Casper Idol."

"Oh yes, Casper Idol." Carter sighed. "Sam enjoys singing very much. If she doesn't sign up, find out what's wrong with her." He frowned.

"Wait a minute, Sam likes to sing?" I said. I glanced at Tucker. "How much does she not tell us?"

"You know she's rich, right?" Carter said.

We nodded.

"Good." He paused. "But anyway, things happened in the 7th grade and we became - 'friends'-" He licked his lips. "-then about a quarter through 8th grade a friend of ours - her name was Carol - wanted to get to know me - in the wrong way, though."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She wanted to get in my pants." He replied.

"Oh." Was all I could say to that.

"What do you mean you and Sam were 'friends'?" Tucker said, putting air quotes around the emphasized words.

"Girlfriend and boyfriend." Carter muttered quietly.

I tensed. Well, what did I expect? They were both Goth and have known each other longer. But I couldn't shake the feeling of dead-on jealousy in the pit of my stomach. I had been in love with Sam since our Sophomore year at Casper High School, however, I never knew if she felt the same way about me. I had heard the gossip spreading around in the halls saying that she was in love with me, and even Tucker had told me, but I wanted to hear it from her lips and not somebody else. She hadn't said a word about it. So I proceeded to wait for her, always willing to give up anything for the girl I loved, even if that meant pondering over her feeling for me every day of my life.

"Oh." Tucker replied, casting me a worried glance.

"But I blew it. That's the difference between the past and the present." He hung his head. "I'm a bad person."

"But how does that relate to Sam?" I asked, still tense.

"Well, let's see. Her best friend, Carol, dumped her to get to me, she found us kissing in a closet - which, by the by, was not my idea - and I was a weak, gutless coward that I didn't explain anything to her. I let her go, and it was the worst mistake I ever made." He frowned.

I hadn't realized I had a grip on my milk carton until it suddenly exploded in my hand. It sprayed over the table and onto my shirt, Tuckers' pants, and Carters' sleeves.

"Sorry." I said.

"Aw man!" Tucker said. "I can't go around like this!"

"That's why a napkin is usually a good idea, dude." Carter said. He handed Tucker and me some napkins, not even bothering to clean himself up; his hair was still damp from Sam's little episode with the Ice Tea.

"Aren't you going to clean up?" I asked, motioning to his dirty appearance.

He shrugged, looking melancholy. "If Sam doesn't care, then neither should I."

I stared at him, not sure if I should resent him for caring for Sam so much, show him sympathy for all the crap that he's been through since lunch began, or pity him for being such a douche bag.

I handed him a napkin, trying to be persistent and polite at the same time. "Here."

He murmured something that sounded like a thanks and began to wipe the milk away from his jacket.

"So, I'm guessing that's why Sam said something about the berry-scented lip-gloss, huh?" Tucker asked, trying to wipe as much of the milk away from his pants as possible.

Carter nodded. He sighed. "And now, the one time I try to explain anything to her without having my heart jammed in my stomach, I can't get a word out without her storming away. I deserve it anyway. I'm a douche bag for letting Carol kiss me."

I raised my eyebrows. "Dude, don't you think you're being too hard on yourself?"

"No." He said, glaring from under his wet bangs. "Going too far would be committing suicide. I may be Goth, but I'm not an Emo kid that cuts himself."

"Really, because I recall you smacking yourself with your hand-whip plenty of times in Middle School." A voice said from behind him.

I looked up and saw Sam standing there, hands on her hips and her eyeliner smudged slightly. I couldn't tell if she had been crying or not, but she looked a mess.

"I came back to get my bag, remembering that I forgot it since I was busy-" She stopped and stared at him. "Never mind. I don't need to explain anything to you."

"Look, Samantha, I'm really sorry." Carter said.

"And I believe you." Sam said, her voice monotone.

Carter blinked. "You do? Then why do you sound so-"

"Angry? Because you never told me the truth the first time, not to mention I had to hear it all over school that you did whatever with Carol. Do you know how it feels to be the center of attention when you don't want to be in the spotlight?"

_I do_, I thought. Since I was always going around as Danny Phantom - fighting ghosts and shit - I was always in the newspapers, magazines, and popular with the ladies. But since I'm Danny Fenton as well, I can't always go around as hero 1 in the papers. If I wasn't careful, my secret could be blown.

Carter hung his head again. "No. You have every intention to be mad at me because of some bitch."

"And that's exactly why I forgive you." Sam replied. A smile nearly touched her lips, but her face hardened. "By the by, what are you doing here? New York is miles away."

"Casper Idol is why." Carter smiled. "My mom is one of the judges. How lucky am I?"

"Oh." Sam said, shocked. "Well, shit. Then I can't enter the competition."

"Why not?" I asked.

Sam sighed and looked at me. "His parents hate me for some bizarre reason-"

"They thought we were-" Carter cut himself off, his face flushing. "You get it, right?"

We nodded.

Carter looked back at Sam. "You can enter the competition, Samantha." He said. "They're just paranoid shut-ins that don't want to get to know their own children. Besides, you won't be alone up on the stage. My mom is forcing me to enter Casper Idol, too."

Sam smiled then, just barely. "I still don't like your dad."

"He doesn't like you, either." He paused. "Does this mean we're friends again?"

Sam frowned, eye ablaze with flame. She reached over to Tuckers' tray of food and grabbed his bottled water. She opened it and poured it over Carters' head. I sat there, dumbfounded that Sam could hold a grudge for so long like that. One thing was for sure, I was never going to piss off Sam when there's food around - or mud, just in case.

Carter nodded slowly, looking depressed. "I kinda' thought that'd be your answer."

"We're on ground zero still. If you behave yourself we could be friends again." She glared at him, her purple eyes burning with rage. "Until then, stay the hell away from me." With that, she grabbed her bag and walked back out of the Cafeteria.

"Whoa, brutal." I said, still in shock that Sam dumped the guy twice already.

"Yes, I know." Carter murmured. He sighed and smiled. "Are you going to sign up for Casper Idol, guys?"

I rolled my eyes. Tucker poked me in my side. I glared at him, but he looked determined for me to make a fool of myself. I returned my gaze back to Carter and shrugged. "I guess I am."

"I'm not." Tucker proclaimed. "Danny here knows very well that I can't sing to save my life."

I laughed. "It's true, Carter."

"Awesome. Do you have a song written out yet?" Carter turned serious.

_Oops!_ "Ugh, shit." I pressed my hand to my forehead. "How am I supposed to come up with an original song in two weeks?"

Carter shook his hair out of his eyes. "I'll help you out, dude, and I'm sure Samantha would be glad to help out her boyfriend, as well."

"Boyfriend?" I raised an eyebrow at him. No matter how much I wanted Sam to be my girlfriend, we weren't going out. Ever. With a capital 'E', ending with a capital 'R'. "I'm not her boyfriend."

"You're just friends?" Carter looked stunned.

I nodded. "Best friends."

"Huh." He ran a finger through his hair, which was still dripping with water. "Would you ever guess that Sam was a little flirt back in New York?" I stared at him and he nodded. "She's a first class flirt. In Middle School she dated just about every guy, although it was a small school itself."

"Really?" Tucker smiled from ear to ear. "Even jocks?"

"They were her favourite." Carter frowned. "She said the jackets made them hot. With two T's." Carter laughed.

I gaped at Tucker. "Whoa, what happened to her?"

"She kinda' got depressed for a while, however, and stopped dating altogether." Carter shook his head. "A friend of hers got into an accident a couple weeks before she moved here. I didn't know who it was that got in the accident, but I did know that she and Sam were close. Like sisters. Next thing I know, she's packing up her room, saying that too much shit had gone on for her to live in the same place any more. Her parents agreed with her and they all moved to Godknowsnowhere."

"Really, she never told any of us this." Tucker said, still gaping at Carter.

He shrugged. "She doesn't trust you, that's why."

"How do you know?" I was getting really annoyed with this guy.

"Because she tells me everything." He said matter-of-factly. "By the by, you wouldn't mind if I talked to her, would you, Dannyboy?"

My eyebrows knit together as I glared at him. "What do you mean 'talk'?"

"What do you think I mean by 'talk'?" He responded in a calm voice. He paused, then smiled as if he just found something out. "You like her." He proclaimed.

That shocked me - for about a fraction of a second. "And?" I couldn't believe I had the guts to say that, forgetting the fact that I had just admitted my feelings for my best friend.

"And - you should be happy. I mean, nowadays, I'd be ecstatic to get another slice of Samantha again, but if I've got competition it only makes it more fun." He frowned. "You don't even know anything about her like I do."

"Shut up." I murmured. My hands clenched into fists. I wanted so badly as to hit him square in the jaw, just to make him shut up - and possibly bleed out his sins for Sam's sake.

"Hey, don't let me bother you, I'm not the bad guy here." He held his hands up, palms facing forward. "I care about Sam just like you do. All I'm saying is you should make a move - fast."

My right fist slammed down on the table. "Shut up." I threatened.

"Easy there, Danny." Tucker said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You're attracting attention."

I rolled my eyes from the left to the right. Tucker was right, there were definitely several people glancing in our direction again.

"Otherwise somebody will." Carter finished his sentence quietly, staring at the table and grew melancholy once again. "Good luck with Samantha, dude."

I didn't loosen my fists; I continued to glare at Carter. I saw right through his façade. _So he should be scared, otherwise a certain ghostly spirit is going to drop him off the roof of the school. _"Don't call her Samantha." Was the last thing I said before the bell rung for 5th period.


End file.
